As Kuji finished speaking, the sound of footsteps echoed up the mountainside.
Gaara emerged from below, bringing two people with him.
One was Kankurō.
The other wore a black robe.
The man's face was obscured, but the robe itself felt… strange. It didn't look like ordinary cloth—rather, it resembled something formed from condensed iron sand, dense and heavy with an oppressive aura.
Without saying a word, Gaara walked to the side. After sitting down, he closed his eyes directly, as if Lady Tsunade's words earlier hadn't even reached his ears.
The two behind him remained silent as well.
Kuji made no attempt to speak either.
Just as Lady Tsunade had said—
the Hidden Sand Village was nothing more than prey waiting to be divided. And prey had no right to speak.
Lady Tsunade glanced at Gaara but didn't comment.
Just an immature brat.
So the Hidden Sand Village had chosen someone like him as Kazekage, trying to imitate the Hidden Mist Village's structure?
Did they truly understand what kind of existence the Hidden Mist Village was?
Or just how terrifying a monster Shigure actually was?
Trying to copy the Hidden Mist Village without understanding it… was nothing short of courting death.
For a time, the mountaintop fell into silence.
Half an hour passed.
Shigure still hadn't appeared.
Lady Tsunade's patience finally wore thin.
"When exactly is Shigure coming?"
She folded her arms, her tone sharp.
"Does he intend to leave me standing on this mountaintop, battered by the wind?"
Shikamaru glanced at Kuji and spoke calmly, but the dissatisfaction was obvious.
"Is this how the Hidden Mist Village treats its guests?"
Kuji smiled faintly.
"My apologies for making Hokage-sama wait so long," he said politely.
"But Shigure-sama said that if Lady Tsunade finds the wait unbearable, she may temporarily rest within the Hidden Mist Village."
"If food or water is required," he added, "you only need to ask."
Hearing this, Tsunade's expression eased slightly.
But she understood immediately—
This was a show of force.
That brat.
She had traveled all this way, yet he didn't even come out to meet her—forcing her to wait instead. Was this his way of trying to gain the upper hand in the negotiations?
Did he think intimidation like this would make her yield?
Tsunade would not compromise so easily.
What she didn't know was that she had completely misunderstood Shigure's intentions.
He wasn't trying to intimidate anyone.
At this very moment, Shigure was moving swiftly through a forest in a small, nameless country.
A white dove fluttered ahead of him, guiding the way.
Soon, they arrived at a waterfall.
Shigure stopped and looked forward.
Under the cascading water, someone was training.
The roar of the waterfall couldn't drown out the intense chakra fluctuations coming from that spot.
"Who's there?"
The person beneath the waterfall suddenly opened his eyes and looked outward.
However, with the water curtain blocking his view, he couldn't clearly see the figure standing beyond it.
This was Rōshi—the Four-Tails Jinchūriki.
Shigure watched him quietly.
"Still training?" he muttered.
"Even as a Jinchūriki powerful enough already, he pushes himself this hard… for what reason?"
Rōshi didn't answer.
Instead, he stepped forward and emerged directly from the waterfall.
Water splashed around him as he landed firmly on the ground in front of Shigure.
His gaze locked onto the stranger.
"Who are you?" Rōshi demanded.
"And how do you know I'm a Jinchūriki?"
Shigure smiled faintly.
"Who I am doesn't matter," he said calmly.
"What matters is that you'd be wise to follow my instructions and do something for me."
"Otherwise," he added lightly, "you're going to suffer a little."
Instruct him?
Rōshi sneered.
"Kid, are you threatening me?"
"You already know what I am, yet you still dare speak like this?"
"It seems you've come here seeking death."
Bang!
Rōshi suddenly threw a punch straight at Shigure's face.
Shigure didn't move.
He calmly raised a single finger and stopped the punch in midair.
The blow couldn't advance even an inch.
The overwhelming disparity in strength made Shigure lose any interest in speaking further.
Mist surged outward.
A sealing-type Ninjutsu activated instantly.
Chakra lines—four of them—pierced directly into Rōshi's body, suppressing him completely as Shigure began absorbing the Four-Tails' chakra.
Gluttony — Activate.
The Tailed Beast's chakra was violently extracted.
In just moments, the Four-Tails was fully devoured.
Rōshi collapsed unconscious onto the ground.
Shigure looked down at him briefly, then shifted his focus inward.
He could clearly feel another Tailed Beast settling within his body.
Satisfied, he spoke calmly.
"Great Sage."
"Current Gluttony recovery: 65%."
Another ten percent restored.
Gluttony's power was steadily strengthening.
Before, absorbing a Tailed Beast took time and preparation—but now, the entire process was completed in just over ten seconds.
If Gluttony were restored to one hundred percent, devouring Tailed Beasts would likely become effortless.
The thought sparked a rare sense of anticipation.
"Great Sage: Current Gluttony repair efficiency is insufficient. At this rate, recovery progress will remain slow. I recommend prioritizing repair of the third skill instead."
Shigure paused.
That made sense.
At the current rate, repairing Gluttony would take more than a month just to gain a few percentage points. Who knew how long full restoration would take?
Rather than that, repairing the third skill directly was the better option.
Come to think of it—
Shigure didn't even know what the final skill actually did.
That realization stirred his curiosity.
Then let's begin repairing the last skill.
But before that…
The Four-Tails should also be fully integrated into the food chain.
Leaving the Tailed Beast inside Rōshi would only benefit the Akatsuki. There was no reason to allow that.
All Tailed Beasts would eventually belong to the Hidden Mist Village.
Shigure calculated the timing.
Tsunade and the others should have already arrived by now.
It was time to return.
And if the Four-Tails vanished at this moment…
No one would suspect him.
Shigure leaped into the air and stepped onto the Flying Nimbus, accelerating rapidly toward the Hidden Mist Village.
At the same time, near the Hidden Cloud Village—
Nagato spoke calmly.
"The Kage Summit should have already begun."
Konan nodded.
"At this hour, there shouldn't be any unexpected delays."
Since it has begun, Nagato thought, every village's attention will be focused there.
If the Akatsuki moved now, they would gain valuable time.
Nagato glanced toward the distant lake.
The terrain had been drastically altered after Shigure's battle here.
Nearby, Killer Bee was training relentlessly.
His defeat at Shigure's hands had been humiliating—unlike anything he had ever experienced.
He had to grow stronger.
One day, he would reclaim his pride.
He would take revenge on Shigure.
Back at the Hidden Mist Village—
Tsunade's patience had reached its limit.
Three full hours.
How much longer did that brat intend to make her wait?
Just then—
Boom!
A massive surge of water erupted from the sea.
A thunderous roar echoed through the air.
Everyone turned toward the sound.
A colossal Water Dragon surged forward across the ocean, racing toward the island.
A figure leapt from its head and landed atop the mountain.
Countless streams of water sliced through the air as a second figure condensed beside Tsunade.
Shigure had arrived.
He sat down casually.
"Sorry for the wait."
The next instant—
Bang!
The Water Dragon exploded.
An enormous torrent of water crashed into the island, making the entire landmass tremble violently.
...
(End of Chapter)
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